Let's Celebrate

Since it’s founding we have developed meaningful programming, like our yearly Passover Seder, we have developed relationships with national organizations like Eshel, and have developed a quiet, and important presence through family groups and other supportive capacities. We have worked with religious and community leaders and have forged an important  presence as advocates in the Baltimore Jewish community. As a result of me retiring from my leadership role, JPride’s leadership will, for the near future, be in transition. While I will still be involved in an advisory capacity, the organization will not be offering any formal programming. Our board members will still be working behind the scenes and maintaining our virtual presence through our website, our Facebook page and so on. Thus, this will be the last issue of our monthly newsletter….for now.

JPride expects to re-emerge in the future, reinvigorated and stronger than ever. The Board is still an active group, but we will not be as visible in the community. In this next chapter our board will continue to work to build community connections  and refine and re-envision our organization’s role in the Baltimore Jewish world. We will be utilizing our resources to incentivize the work that we have been doing in the community. JPride is not sun setting, rather, just hibernating.

In the Jewish tradition the number 7 is an important one - it represents completeness: a full week, the number of species in Ancient Israel and the amount of time in a shmita, natural earth cycle. We teach in our tradition “Lo alecha hamlacha ligmor, v’lo atah ben chorin l’hivatel mimena”. “It is not your job to finish the work, but neither are you free to desist from it”; we know that the work is not done, and like we learn from the practice of shmita there is beauty and power in reflection and rest, and the opportunity to start cycles anew. As a result of our presence these last 7 years, we have sown the seeds for inclusion, outreach and support. We pray that the right opportunity will arise for this growth to continue and increase ever stronger in Jewish Baltimore.